CHAPTER TOOLS

Keywords:

recombinant antibody fragments;

combinatorial libraries;

phage display;

single-chain fragment;

panning;

antigen

Summary

Both production and panning of recombinant antibody fragments from antibody libraries have evolved to become one of the major sources for novel antibodies. The key technological development in that process was the use of a selection system showing efficiencies comparable to our own immune system. By displaying antibodies on the surface of microorganisms containing the genetic information of the antibody's gene within its genome, clones expressing antigen specific binding can easily be amplified. Antibody libraries consisting of more than 10 billion different members allow for the isolation of human antibody fragments against almost every possible antigen.